Why Chiefs’ Andy Reid Gambled on 4th Down vs. Texans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The momentum flipped the second the fourth quarter started. Kansas City had dominated all 900 seconds of the third quarter. But then, the air left their tires.

On the first play of the final period, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception. And after the Chiefs forced another punt, Andy Reid made a gutsy call. The head coach kept his offense on the field on a long fourth-and-1 – from their own 31-yard line.

“Trying to stay aggressive with it,” Reid lamented after the game. “I take full responsibility for that, and those are opportunities that you've got to take advantage of. You're playing a good football team in the Texans, and you've got to make sure when you have opportunities to make plays, you make plays. And we were short just a little bit there.”

Watch Andy Reid discuss below:

Out of an empty backfield, Mahomes fired a short pass toward Rashee Rice over the middle. But Houston’s Derek Stingley broke up the pass. The Texans (8-5) took over, scored a go-ahead touchdown and never looked back in a 20-10 win over the Chiefs (6-7).

“I thought we could get it,” Reid added. “I was confident we could do that. It's important that you take advantage of opportunities and I thought it was an opportunity. I was wrong. In hindsight, I was wrong. We've been pretty good on fourth downs. I messed that one up.”

Mahomes wouldn’t let Reid take the blame. The quarterback said the Texans’ No. 1-ranked defense passed off crossing routes on the key fourth down, putting Derek Stingley on Rice.

“I think I was a little late, and the guy made a great play breaking on the ball,” said Mahomes, who finished 14 of 33 for 160 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. “But we just got to execute at a higher level in those big moments and that’s something that we haven't done this year.”

stroud, jone — Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) pressures Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Stroud made several All-Pro plays

Houston sensed the big moment and capitalized, thanks to an All-Pro play by C.J. Stroud on third-and-3. The quarterback barely escaped a Chris Jones sack, which would’ve taken the Texans out of field-goal range, and somehow hit rookie Jayden Higgins for 8 yards.

And one play after Woody Marks left with an injury, third-string running back Dare Ogunbowale found daylight on a 5-yard touchdown run to give Houston a 17-10 lead with under seven minutes left.

On the ensuing possession, Kansas City found itself in a similar situation, facing fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs’ 41-yard line. This time, on a similar play, Rice was open across the middle but – excruciatingly – dropped the pass.

“Coach Reid believes in us,” said Mahomes, who finished with a career-low 42.4 completion percentage. “We've executed on that in that same situation several times this season, and they did a good job of passing the crossers.

“Like I said, I wish I got to Rashee a little bit earlier, or if I could have bought a little bit more time. In hindsight, probably try to hit Trav (Kelce) over the top of the defender. But I mean, he made a good play. They made good plays today, but I'll never question the decision to go for it, because I believe in the offense and who we are.”

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